Freezer.



C. P.' THOMAS.

FHEE'ZER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4.1914.

1,170,76.. A y Patented Feb.'8,1916. 2sHEETs-sHEET-2. v F.3.Z4 Z3 narran sTArEsr-ATENT oFmcE.

CHARLES P.. THOMAS, or LUDLow, KENTUCKY.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES carrying out the different steps ofthe opera-- tion, and, especially with relation to freezing ice cream and similar products, to freeze small quantities in comparatively little time and with 'comparatively little labor.

My invention consists in the parts and iny the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter be more vfully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of a device embodying my in-l vention, with all the parts in closed position as they are during the freezing operation;

Fig. 2/is a partial view similar to Fig. 1,

. rubber and of circular cross section as shown,

and the lid lO is adaptedto be clamped flat bottom 3 andthe outer cylindrical wall 4 with the fiat bottom 5, leaving a space all around and under between these walls which is preferably filled with a good insulatingmaterial such as felt 6. At the up-.

per'rim of the vessel the inner wall`2 is f flanged out across the space between the in-v ner and.outer walls and 'then upward and seamed over the `upper edge of the outer wall, so as to form the ledge 7 all around inside the rim of the vessel, and thereby vcompletely closing the space Jbetween the walls,

and with the upstanding rim 8 of the outerl wall, formed b v the seaming ofthe inner wall over the outer wall, forming the outer limit of thisl ledge 7. Upon the ledge 7 is placed a. gasket ring `9, which may be of FREEZER..

Specification of Letters Batent.

y P; THOMAS,

y a citizen yof the United States, and-arresident Patented Feb. ,8, 1916. Appncation alea may 4, 1914.. serial No. 836,061.

down on this gasket, thus to hermetically i seal the interior 11 of this outer vessel 1.

The lid 1.0 is preferably made up of the outer or main plate 12 flanged downward and inward and joined to the inner plate 1 3 with an intermediate plate 14 between these two plates 12 and 13 and spaced apart from both of them to leave an air space 15 below the intermediate plate 14 and the inner plate 13, and leaving a space above the intermediate plate 14 between it and the main outer plate 12,- which is preferably.

illed with insulatingmaterial such as felt 16, like the felt 6 inclosed 'in the hollow walls of the vessel 1. As shown, the intermediate plate 14 has a downwardly turned periph- -eral flange 17 and the inner plate 13' has a downwardly extending annular bead 18 around its periphery that receives the lower ledge of this ange 17, so that the intermediate plate 14 is held in proper position with outer plate 12 has an annular lgroove or gutter 19 around just'inside its periphery, the inner side of which bears down on the upper ,side of the intermediate plate 14S near the` periphery thereof; holding the plate 14 with its flange 17 down in the interior of the bead 18. These parts of the lid 10, and also the parts of the vessel 1 previously described,

are preferably made of heavy tin plate and soldered together, and the arrangement just described is especially adapted t0 provide a lid of strong construction when made of such material; although it will be under' stood that any other suitable` construction may be employed, S0 long as the proper insulating and lhermeti'cal sealing -functions lare provided for. The lid 10 may have a handle 20 for conveniently lifting it on and off ofthe vessel.

The gasket 9, after the lid 10 is brought down upon it, will receive the lower side around the ledge 7; but in applying the lrespect to the inner plate 13; andthe main lof the peripheralbead 18 of the lid and will then be held out in its proper' position lid and gasket, considerable difficulty is experienced in keeping the gasket in proper fitting the gasket down into such a gutter all around, especially since such interior wall must be low enough not to interfere with the firm bearing of the ledge on the gasket, and also such a. lpermanent-gutter around the rim of the vessel will be diiia cult to keep clean. I provide for maintain*- shown,of sheetmetal with its edge parts folded' inward and -having a smooth interior surface so that it is adapted to it snugly inside the inner wall 2. With the use of this removable. flange 21 for the gasket 9, it is first slipped intothe top of the vessel 1, as shown in Fi 2, leaving a considerable part of it extending' above the top ofthe vessel, and then the gasket 9 is easily slippedpdown over this extended part and `forced down upon the4 ledge 7 all around, after which the lid 10 is placed upon the flange 21, centering thereon by means of the'bead 18 on the lower side of the lid, and pushed downward, pushing the flange down into the vessel 1 and stopping where its bead 18\fits upon the gasket 9, so that the flange 21 has effec'- tivelyl maintained the gasket 9-v on the ledge 7 during-this operationwand has descended just as far as 1s necessary to allow the lid 10 to have its proper bearing on the gasket as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; The provision of this removable flange for the gasket also facilitates the removal of the gasket from the vessel, since the flange is easily pulled out and then leaves the gasket free to collapse inward `from its position around on the ledge 7.

To hold the lid 10 tightlyy down upon its gasket 9, 'I provide, as here shown, three clamps 22 spaced equally around the rim of the vessel, each clamp comprlsing a4v hook 23 that has a 24to engage in the groove orggutten, 18 of the lid'10, and extends out over the rim and ydown the. side of the vessel where it has a 'transverse pivot pin 25. Up close to the rim of the vessel yis a small bracket 26, upon which is pivoted a bifurcated lever 27 flanking the hook 23l and having ears 28 receiving the pivot pin 25VA atveach side of the hook 27 this lever extending downward past this pivotal connectionwith the hook 23 some distance, and its free end being engaged by the ngers to manipulate the clamp. 'llhus, this lever 27 is swung out from the vessel and raises the hook 23 so that the hook may haveritsabead 24 .engagedJ in the gutter` 19. l

The hook, 's thenrheld down in this position 'I while thelever 27 is forced down toward the vessel, swingingsthe pivot 2 5Adown around the bracket 26 until the parts adjacent to the pivot 25 engage with the outside of the vessel, whereupon, the? parte being, properly downwardly projected bead l proportioned, the pivot 2 5 has passed a centerV line running through the point of engagement of the bead 24 with the lid and through the pivot of the lever 27 in the bracket 26, so that the .clamp holds the lid tightly down. The clamp is easily released by pulling outward and upward on the free end of the lever 27 until the pivot 25 hasf passed the center line above referred to. Thus, the clamp operates by substantially vertical pressure as distinguished from any horizontal clamping movement, and there is no necessity for sliding the lid 10 around on the gasket 9 at any time during the operation of closing the vessel 1, so that l am enabled to secure a practically perfect hermetical sealing of the vessel 1 by the means above described. It will be understood that l may use any suitable clamp providing such sealing effect.l l l v lhe vessel 1 is preferably provided with a bail 29 for handling it conveniently, or it may have any other well known means for facilitatlng the handling of it. Interiorly, the v esselY 1s devoid of any permanent projectlons, so that it has simply the smooth concave interior walls and the smooth flatbottom, thus being veryv easily kept clean. 0n

account of this, the structure so far' de scribed isl not limited to use in a freezer, but 1s well adapted for use in any connection where a heat-insulating vessel may be needed to maintain either a low or a high temperature of the contents.

For use as a freezer however', and which isthe most important use of my invention,

I provide an inner vessel 30l with plain cylindrical walls 31 and a flat bottom 32 ofi single thickness.l Around near its upper rim it preferably has an outwardly proT 'jected bead 33 to strengthen it, and a 'cupped lidy 34 fits down over `the rim. Before applying the cupped lid 34 however, a suitable gasket is applied over .the rim of the vessel 30, such as thegasket 35 shown herein, which, as l have found in practice, may simply be a f airly closely woven textile fabric such as muslin, whichl is spread across the top of the vessel 30 andthe lid 34 drawn over it, the lid and vessel being. made of such relative proportions that the fabric is somewhat tightly clamped on the vesselby the lid; rlhis vessel 30'is to contain the ice cream or other .substance to be frozen, and

the gasket 35 is provided merely to prevent the taste or odorv of the freezing medium ^being imparted to the ice cream or other contents of the vesisel 30.

According to the broad pri/nciple of. operi ation of the device, -the vessel 30 may simply be placed in the heat insulating vessel 1 (and then a freezing medium, such as a mixture of ice and Salt, packed around it and under it in the space 11 inside the vessel 1, whereupon the heat will be extracted from i'se -the contents of the vessel 36 into the freezing medium inthe space 11. lAfter two or three minutes in this condition, with the lvessel 1 sealed, the/substance'in the vessel 31 will be frozen rather hard all around adjacent to the walls 31 and bottom 32, of the vessel 30 for a thickness of a quarter of an inch or more. If the outer vessel 1 now be opened and the inner vessel 30 removed and opened, the contents of this inner vessel 30 may be stirred thoroughly, mingling the frozen crustwith the unfrozen liquid interior of the contents, so that the entire contents has its temperature considerablyreduced, and being thus brought into a partially congealed condition. If the in- Aner vessel is again closed and again put into the heat insulating Lvessel 1 with the freezing medium piackedaround it in the space 11 and the vessel 1 'again closed as described, and this condition allowed to continue for about twenty minutes more, then upon removal of' the inner vessel 30, the ice cream or other contents thereof will be found to be congealed or frozen to the proper consistency .for use. uniformly solid throughout. The frozen contents may be readily removed from the plain cylindrical inner vessel 30 by a very brief .immersion of this vessel in hot water,

very `slightly melting the contents where it clings to the wall of the vessel 30, so-that the contents will freely slide out as a solid cylinder, which may then be sliced into portions as desired, or the contents may be scooped from the vessel 30 and served in any other form.v It will be understood that the inner vessel 30 may be about three or four inches in diameter; if it exceeds such dimensions, an excessivelength of time will be required for the iinal freezing operation,

and even then the freezing may not be uniform. By providing theV improved hermeti- `cal sealing ofthe outer heat-insulating vessel 1, I have made a maI'kedstep in advance in the art of freezing Without constant manipulation, bythe provision of the structure as so far described. As before alluded to, however, after the first brief freezing operation, it is necessary to open the inner vessel and stir thecontents, and it is impractical to do this without removing the inner 'vessel from the proximityof the freezing medium, such as ice and salt, in the space 11 1n the outer vessel. The packing of this freezmg medium around and under the 1nner vessel. 30 at ltheybeginning, and then the repeating of this operation for the final freezing, is highly inconvenient, causing not only loss of time, but loss of freezing effect of` the freezing medium. To avoid these 1nconveniences and losses, I `provide the curb 36, which comprises a perforated cylindrical shell 37 of interior diameter so that it will receive the inner vessel 30 snugly, andof rIhe top of wardly and inwardly as shown, so that, 4

preferably, the plate is slightly spaced upwardv fromthe plate 3 of the bottom of the vessel, leaving a slight air space 41 between this base 38 and the bottom plate3 of the vessel, thereby adding to the insulation.

Centrally, inside the shell 37, this base 38 has a pedestal 42 which, as shown, consists of a short tube with its lower end securedl to the base 38, preferably by soldering, and` with its upper end adapted to.have the flat .bottom 32 of theinner vessel 30 rest upon it. The shell 37 of the curbi 36 has a series of cylindrical semi-circular openings 43 in its bottom, spaced therearound, preferably leaving only so muchoftthe bottom of the shell 37 as gives a sufficiently strongl connection to the base 38. Thus, free communication is afforded between the space 11 and the space under the inner vessel 30.

In practice, the curb :36 is first placed in the vessel 1,*and then some of the freezing medium is placed in the bottom of the shell 37 filling it up toabout the height of the 30, which has received its contents and has tubular pedestal 42, whereupon the vessel been closed by its lid 34 and gasket 35, isl

placed down upon this freezing medium and upon the pedestal, after which the packing of the freezing medium'is continued in the space 11 outside up to the top-of the shell 37, as best seen in Fig. 1. Communicating through the openings 43 in the bottom of the shell, the freezing medium will be packed into'one continuous mass around and under the vessel 30. The perforations in the shell .37 'will-be permeated bythe freezing mikture, so that it will come into intimate contact with the cylindrical Walls of the inner vessel 30. The perforations in the shell 37 may be as large as a quarter of an inch in diameter, and I preferably use ice broken into particles only slightlyl larger i I than this, and preferably use layers of this broken ice alternating with thin layers of by the time the freezing medium has been huilt up to the required height it l'will have frozen into .a practically continuous mass around the curb 36 and vessel 30, and the freezing of the contents ,ofl the Vessel' will already have commenced.' v, A

. By the above described means', the inner salt, in building up the freezing medium` l v packing Athe ice' and salt very tightly; and

' 2,5 material for composing the inner vessel, a

a risorse i When it is desired to remove the freezing tlme without `disturbing the freezing medium, the curb36 may be drawn up out c medium in the least, and may as readily be of the vessel, bringing the entire mass of reinsertedto continue the operation. While freezing medium with 1t, which may then be vessel 30 may beV removed readily at any 5 the inner vessel is removed for the stirring readily removed lfrom around the shell '37 operation, the lid l() may be replaced to and olf of the'base 3.8 of the curb. retain`the cold air in the vessel, although From the foregoing it will beseen that,

l have found that this is not necessary, benot only arebetter conditions provided for cause of the briefness of the interval, and freezing, but the work is greatly facilitated,

due to the fact that the cold air does not sothat not only is it notnecessary to con- 75 readily rise from the vessel. The high de- Stantly stir or rotate the contents being ree of hermetical sealing which my device frozen, but most of the other manipulation affords, limits the melting of the iceV subis dispensed with. rlhe capacity of the de- `stanti'ally to that vcaused by its combination vice may be increased to a reasonable degree with the salt due to the lower freezing point by increasing the depth o f the parts, al- 8e of the mixture, and practically notv any of though, as before stated, there is a practical the melting is due to the inuence of the limit touthe diameter. Also, a plurality of outside` atmosphere. Therefore, the coninner vessels may be provided in a single` sumption of ice in the operation is miniouter vessel, and the curb provided with mized, and a low temperature isl reached shells to accommodate the'plurality of ves- 85 early in the operation and maintained as sels.' y 'l long as itis desired that the freezing opera- As before stated, the outer heat insulating tion may continue. The gasket 9 and its vessel, withits lid, gasket and clamps, may core- 21 need not be disturbed-during the be used independently of the other parts, 25 brief removal of the lid. The curb 36 being lt is also to be noted that the entire device 9o readily removable from the vessel, and itself is useful in other connections, as for inbeing of very open construction, sanitation stance it may serve as a lunch or dinner `is thus greatly facilitated. ail; the inner vessel or 30a serving to lt' is highly desirable that the inner vessel n hold any liquid which must be kept either 30 30 be strictly sanitary; and,` preferably,

n hot or cold until used, and the space 11 may e5 solder is excluded from this construction, as receive other articles o f food, which will be by drawing the vessel into propershape insulated by the double walls of the vessel from a single piece, so that, as here shown, l and will be keptwarm or cool, as the case the flat bottom is integral .with the -cylinmay be, by the liq id contained in the inner a5 drical walls, Such `a vessel of one piece and vessel 30 or 30a.

madev of aluminum,l either drawn or cast, is From the foregoing it will be understood especially desirable, not only because alumif that my invention is capable of some modi num resists corrosion but isa good'conduetor cation, and also of a variety of uses; and `of heat. rlhis inner vessel 30, whatever its therefore I do not wish to be understood as so construction, shouldv have walls as thin as being limited to the precise details and con-..105

Vth'ey maybe consistent with proper strength, struction and of use as herein set forth, but so that the heatof the contents is very only as deined by the followingclaims: readily delivered to the freezingl medium 1. ln vaI device -of the character described,

therearound. Glass is the most sanitarfl a vessel, a ledge around inside the rim thereof, a cover for the vessel, a gasket to 11e though it must be somewhat thicker than lie on the ledge between it and the cover, an metal and has inferior heat conductivities. inner supporting flange for the gasket, de- Where glass is to be used, an ordinary glass tachable, from the vessel, cover and gasket,

jar 30, with a screw top 34:, adapted to t adapted to be removably slid into the top ofl n the shell 37 of thev curb B6, mayV the vessel with asubstanti'al bearing down M5 to facilitate the apown in Fig. 3. When such a along its inner surface,

` plication of the gasket and cover to the vesamp the cover `on the vbe used, as sh i jar is used, the frozen ice cream or other 'substance must be scooped therefrom if the Jar sel, and means to cl has a shoulder as shown, and cannot be vessel.

55 slipped out as previously described in con- 2. ln- 'a devicev of the character described, 12e

nection with the plain cylindrical vessel. 'By incombination with a heat-insulating veshaving a plurality of the inner vessels, eithersel, a heat insulated lid for said vessel comef the kind shown in Fig. 1 or of the kind prising an outer plate 4having a gutter shown in'Fig. 3, they maybe filled with the around in it closely inside of the periphery k eoisubstance .to be frozen and successively inthereof, an inner` plate having a downserted into the device, it thus being possibleA wardly extended bead around near the pe te` provide a continuous supply of the ice riphery thereof and secured tothe outer cream or other frozen product for some plate at the periphery, and an intermediate time, with the Same freezing medium in plate having a downwardly turned periphe the' device andwithout repacking. eral flange resting inside the downwardly me f in combination with al heat-insulated vessel,

extended beadv of the inner plate, held down therein by the lower inside of thev gutter part of the outer plate, whereby distinct insulating spaces are formed inside said cover,

' 5 and means for securing said cover on the vessel by engagement in the outside of the gutter of the outer plate.

v haracter described, in combination with a'heat-insulating ves- 3. In a device of the sel, a heat insulated lid for said vessel coinlprising an outer plate having a gutter aroundin it vclosely inside of the periphery \thereof, an inner 'plate having a 'down-l wardly extended bead around near the periphery thereof and secured to the outer plate at the periphery, andan intermediate plate having a downwardlylturned peripheral flange resting inside the downwardly l v lextended beadv of the inner-plate, held down A2,0 therein by the lower inside ol the gutter part of the .outer plate, whereby distinct insulating spaces are formed inside said cover means'for securing said cover on the vesse by engagementin the outside of the gutter of the outer plate, said vessel having an auf nular ledge around inside its rim, an annular gasket restin on said ledge, and said cover having its ownwardly projected bead A Witnesses:

of'its inner plate resting on said gasket.

4. In a device of the character described,

a heat insulated lid for said vessel comprising an outer plate having a gutter around in it closely inside of the periphery thereof, an inner plate having a downwardlylextended bead around near the periphery.

thereof .and secured tothe outer plate at the periphery, and an intermediate plate havinga downwardly turned peripheral flange resting inside. the downwardly extended bead ofthe inner plate, held down therein by the lower inside of the Vgutter part of the outer plate, whereby distinct insulating spaces are formed inside said cover, means for securing said cover on the vessel by engagement in the outside of the gutter of the outer plate, said vessel having an annular ledge around inside its rim, an annular v JAMES N. RAMSEY, I

Pmmnw.

CHARLES` r. THOMAS,

gasket andI cover to the l 

